First foot forward: LA dreamer returns to KC to launch shoe brand with one-of-a-kind pop-up

Sky Jackson walked through Motion House Studios in the West Bottoms wearing a shirt and pants he had sewn together himself, as well as a pair of Scoops — Jackson’s premier footwear line inspired by the light-heartedness and joy of ice cream.  

“I have been wanting to make a shoe brand since I was a kid. I brought the idea to my girlfriend and she was like, ‘You should go for it. Just do it for yourself.’ … If my younger self could talk to me now, he would be proud of me that I did it — that I am wearing the shoes,” Jackson said, looking down at his Scoops and smiling. 

The 10-month process of designing, manufacturing and finally receiving the first official line of Scoops has cultured into a one-of-a-kind pop-up shop — featuring haircuts by Kay Martinez, tattoos by Ty Nevels, music by DJ Jahreezy, ice cream by Shake Shack and of course, Scoops shoes and merchandise. 

“I’m a dreamer with a million ideas,” Jackson said. “Over the years, I’ve had to learn how to be able to execute ideas, instead of just having a million ideas. This pop-up and these vendors are all about making people feel good about themselves. There’s something about wearing a dope pair of shoes, or getting a good haircut, then looking in the mirror and feeling amazing. I am really grateful to be able to bring everyone together and have that energy in one space.”

The Scoops pop-up is set for noon to 6 p.m. Saturday at Motion House Studios —1101 Mulberry St. Kansas City, MO 64101 — in the West Bottoms.

Watch a promotional video for Scoops below, then scroll down to keep reading. 

 

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Coming back to KC 

Jackson’s journey with Scoops began as an exciting one, he noted; but he soon found himself in a battle with depression. 

Sky Jackson, Scoops

“I knew I needed to come back to KC to see my friends, my family, get on medication, get a new therapist and really just find myself again,” Jackson said, explaining why he decided not to host the pop-up in Los Angeles where he currently resides. “I know it sounds cliché, but ultimately the Scoops is about following my dreams and being an expression of who I am.” 

Through his reset, Jackson realized that he is not afraid of failure, he said — because rather than a loss, failure is an opportunity to learn and grow. 

“The most successful people in this world have failed way more times than they have succeeded,” Jackson said. “So at the end of the day, if I fail, then I’ve still gained a lot of knowledge on how to make a shoe, how to deal with customs and figure all of that out.

“I’m a runner. I run because it’s all mental,” he continued. “You have to put one foot after the other, like you can run a mile, or you can run six [miles]. But it depends — am I going to do this or not? So with the shoes, just like life, you have to put one foot in front of the other and keep going.” 

With the final product now in-hand, Jackson can focus on enjoying his pop-up and connecting with the Kansas City community, he noted. 

“I would love for this pop-up to shine a light on Kansas City creatives,” Jackson said. “That’s the ultimate goal — just to be able to bring resources and opportunity to Kansas City that I didn’t have [as a young creative]. The more we work together, the bigger and faster things will grow.”

Sky Jackson, Scoops

Gifted and Cursed 

As a dreamer, Jackson is always thinking of the big picture, he said. With Scoops, he already has the next seven color combinations refined and ready to go to production. 

“If I could go back and do it differently, I probably would have refined one or two colorways, then put the first one in production while working on the next colorway,” he said. “Because the longest part was sampling and getting all the colorways to how I wanted them. But now at least I am really prepared with Scoops.” 

Beyond Scoops, Jackson has plans to create a fashion brand titled, Gifted and Cursed, he shared.

“Gifted and Cursed is a brand that comes back to overcoming the fear of failure,” Jackson said. “There were times in my life when being a creative felt like it was a gift and a curse. It was something that some people shamed me for and that made others happy. 

“We’re all gifted and cursed,” he continued. “If you follow your dreams, that’s a gift. If you don’t, you’re putting a curse on yourself. … So when you put on a pair of Scoops, or one day a piece from Gifted and Cursed, I want people to see that there’s a story told through the fashion.”